Payatas dump facility now attracting tourists

Who would have thought the Payatas dump in Quezon City become a major tourist attraction?

After the 2000 Payatas tragedy, many thought Quezon City would never rise from the nightmare.

Unknown to many, several foreign tourists have already visited the site, doing observation tours and research work on how the local government was able to transform the mountain of trash into a controlled disposal facility.

Since its conversion in July 2004, more than a hundred foreign dignitaries, top ranking government officials, representatives from local and international non-government organizations and students, have toured the site, many of whom were considering adapting the initiatives undertaken by the city government in ensuring the operational efficiency of the city-owned disposal facility.

Foreign dignitaries include Ambassador Ariya Rikaun, of the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka; Zamri Abdul Rahman, general manager of Worldwide Landfills – Malaysia; Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA expert Takashi Goto; Bjorn Wahlstedt, president of Conexor Corp.; Dr. Peter Herrie, a professor from the Berlin University of Technology; and Joichi Kimura, deputy director general, Carbon Finance Department, Japan Carbon Finance Ltd. among others.

Payatas Operations Group chief Jameel Jaymalin noted that a considerable number of visitors worldwide are coming over because they wanted to see "how Quezon City was able to do it" and that is converting the Payatas open dump into a controlled disposal facility.

"People are interested in seeing the difference between the old and the new Payatas," Jaymalin said.

Even Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando was impressed with what the city government has accomplished during his visit at the Payatas dumping facility.

"Unbelievable accomplishment. You did it and showed that it can be done," Fernando said.

The initiative undertaken by the city government has earned for the city a citation from Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in recognition of its pioneering and innovative program in achieving environmental improvements that include engineering works, social responsibility, and operation and management, in compliance with Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

The Payatas disposal facility is also frequently used as a subject for research and case studies by students, both local and foreign.

Under the administration of Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., the city government has instituted various improvement programs designed at ensuring the operational efficiency of the dumpsite.

These include, among others, slope re-profiling, leachate collection and re-circulation, construction of drainage canals along the periphery of the dumpsite and fortifying roadways for easy access to the site.

"What the city government is doing right now is effectively complying with all existing environmental laws until the city has put in place a more environmentally acceptable disposal technologies that will ensure a safe disposal site for the city’s wastes," Belmonte said.

Aside from fast becoming a haven for tourists, the Payatas controlled disposal facility is also an alternative source of natural gas with the extraction of methane gas from the site.

The Payatas dumping facility generates about 60 kilowatts of power daily. Of the total, 14 kilowatts are being consumed as a secondary power source for the facility, including the perimeter lights and the offices on top of the dump. It is estimated that the current level of methane gas at the site could supply the power need of the facility over the next 10 years.

The community is expected to benefit from the excess power generated from the facility. This month, the Payatas Operations Group shall be launching the "Plantsahan ng Bayan" project, where the excess power shall be utilized for ironing chores.

Another component of the conversion project is the continuing search for an economically and environmentally-friendly method for the disposal of used tires.

Meanwhile, a low-cost housing project will be built soon at the 7.5-hectare Madrigal-owned property in Barangay Payatas in Quezon City for the benefit of urban poor families residing near the Payatas dump, particularly those occupying the danger zones.

Dubbed as the "Payatas Ecoville," the project aims to transform the Payatas controlled disposal facility into a model community equipped with basic amenities such as cemented roads, school, church, community center and various recreational facilities.

With all systems in place, Payatas, after the stigma of the July 2001 "trashslide," is inching its way to becoming a part of the Quality City that Belmonte has envisioned Quezon City to be.